Spiritual PonderingsFebruary 2008: Reflections on the Rite Of Baptism A closer look at the Sacrament of Baptism

April 2008: Spirituality of the Princess Bride Reflections about faith inspired by the movie The Princess Bride

May 2008: Self-Reflections on the Mass Prayerful reflection on the Mass and its importance in my life

June 2008: Spiritual Blogging Random reflections

July 2008: Faith & Film Discussing Movies and Faith

September 2008: Spiritual Blogging Random Spiritual Thoughts

October 2008: Mary And The Virtues Spiritual reflections about the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Virtues

November 2008: Living Saints Reflections on what makes a person a saint

December 2008: Christmas Songs Reflections on different Christmas songs

February 2008 - Rite of Baptism

Rite of Baptism Part I: “The Beginning” For the month of February, I would like to focus our attention on the Sacrament of Baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism is more than just the “gateway to the other sacraments”, it tells us so much about what our Church believes. In order to break open this great sacrament for our understanding, I have decided to look at the different parts of the Liturgy of Baptism.

Sign of the Cross The Liturgy of Baptism begins like Mass with the Sign of the Cross. For many of us, the symbolic power of the Cross has been watered down. We see crosses everywhere especially in the form of jewelry. We can sometimes forget that the Cross was an instrument of capital punishment and it is my belief that you would be hard press to find anyone in the ancient Roman Empire using it as a fashion statement. How many people now days go around wearing little electric chairs around their necks. The Cross became a sign to the early Christians of the power of God. It was the instrument of Christ’s death that led to his Resurrection. It was the instrument that God used to save us all.

I have been told that the Sign of the Cross was a way for early Christians to identify each other. A person might move his hand up and down and hope that another person might move his hand from right to left thus completing the cross. This was important in the early Church because Christianity was illegal.

The Sign of the Cross also teaches us in a visible form two very important parts of our faith. The Sign of the Cross teaches us that we believe in the Most Holy Trinity. We begin the Sign of the Cross with “In the name” note the singular of the word “name”. We then go onto to list three names: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. This demonstrates that we believe in God in three persons and not just three gods.

Lord be with You The priest or deacon continues in the same way as they do at Mass with the “Lord be with you.” It is a reminder to us that the task that we are about to undertake is not one that simple mortals can do. We need to have God with us. It is good for us to therefore be mindful of God’s promise to always be with His people.

Naming of the Child The next part of the Sacrament of Baptism is a powerful moment. The priest or deacon will ask the parents to officially give a name to their child. This simple act is probably one of the most important acts that parents do because this name will be the child’s identity. For example when someone does something we don’t say that “those organs wrapped in skin did it”, “those molecules and atoms did it”, or “that creature made up of mostly water did it.” We say instead that “Katie did it” or “Joe did it”. The name gives us something to call this magnificent creature made in the image and likeness of God and is comprised of both soul and body. It is not required for a child to be named after a saint or a Christian virtue but it is recommended. It is however not permitted to name a child with a name that would offend the Christian dignity of the person.

Asking for Baptism Parents are then asked by the priest or deacon what it that they wish for their son or daughter is. The parents normally respond by saying “Baptism”, “faith” or something similar. It is a moment in which parents admit and it teaches us that baptism (and faith itself) is a gift from God. It is not something that can be earned or bought. We are however confident that God will answer because Jesus taught us to “ask and it will be given to you.”

Rite of Baptism Part II: “The Role of Parents & God Parents”
As we continue our look at what the Sacrament of Baptism teaches us about faith we look at the role of the parents and God parents.

Parents Parents of a child by the mere fact that they are the parents play a major role in not only the academic and social development of their child but also in their child’s faith development. In the teachers’ lounge at Sacred Heart Parish in Valley Park, hung a poster called “If a child lives with…” by Dorothy Law Nolte. I think this short poem says what I am trying to say in words better than I could ever find…
If A Child Lives With. . . by Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticism. . . . . . . .he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility. . . . . . . . he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear. . . . . . . .he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with jealousy. . . . . . . .he learns to feel guilt.
If a child lives with tolerance. . . . . . . .he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement . . . . . . . .he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise. . . . . . . .he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with acceptance. . . . . . . .he learns to love.
If a child lives with approval. . . . . . . .he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with recognition . . . . . . . .he learns that it is good to have a goal.
If a child lives with honesty. . . . . . . .he learns what truth is.
If a child lives with fairness. . . . . . . .he learns justice.
If a child lives with security. . . . . . . .he learns to trust in himself and others .
If a child lives with friendliness. . . . . . . .he learns the world is a nice place in which to live.
Parents are the first and best teachers of their children when it comes to the faith and it is important that they realize this. The priest or deacon will ask them the following question during the baptism ceremony.

“You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?”

Godparents With a deep understanding of what a difficult task it is to raise children in the world, the Church encourages parents to ask two people specifically to be helpers and we call them godparents. In the Catholic Church godparents must be catholic and each child has to have at least one. If there is only one good solid Catholic to be a godparent the Church will allow a non-Catholic person agrees to assist the parents in this role but we do not officially refer to them as a godparent but rather as a Christian witness. God parents should also have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Godparents are asked by the priest or deacon if they too are ready to undertake this tremendous obligation.
Rite of Baptism Part III:

“Liturgy of the Word & Special Prayers”
Liturgy of the Word The next part of the Rite of Baptism is the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word can be the same as at Mass with a first reading, responsorial psalm, second reading and Gospel or it may be shortened to just one reading. I prefer the following passage from Mark when the baptism takes place outside of Mass.

“A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark
People were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.”

This passage from the Gospel of Mark, I think speaks to the sublime truth that we cannot earn the gift of Baptism and that is why the Church has never put an age limit on it and thus the Catholic Church has a long tradition of baptizing infants.

Petitions/Prayers of the Faithful After the readings from Sacred Scripture we take time to ask God to hear our prayers for the child who is about to be baptized and our prayers for the whole world. This is once again a place in which we acknowledge our need for God’s divine assistance.

Litany of the Saints As Catholic we believe that everyone baptized is a member of God’s family. We also believe that death is but a doorway to everlasting life. This is most evident when the Church prays the Litany of Saints. We are asking the living members of our family, who reside in heaven, to take an active part in our own life and in the life of the child who is about to be baptized their new brother or sister in Christ also.

There is no wrong or right way for which saints to use. I start off with the saints who are recommended in the Rite of Baptism Book, then I add the patron saints of the diocese and the church, I follow that up with the name of the saints in the stained glass windows in the church building and finally with any saints that might apply to the child being baptized.

Prayer of Exorcism The prayers of the faithful and the Litany of Saints are concluded with the Prayer of Exorcism. When we think hear the word “exorcism” we think of the movies and demonic possession and in a way we are right but in a way we are also wrong. Exorcism is simply a prayer asking God to drive out any obstacle from the child that might prevent God’s divine grace from taking route. We trust in God’s power over evil. Below is the prayer that is used.

“Almighty God, You sent your only Son to rescue us from slavery of sin, and to give us the freedom only your sons and daughters enjoy. We now pray for N. who will have to face the world with its temptations, and fight the devil in all his cunning. Your Son died and rose again to save us. By his victory over sin and death, bring him/her out of the power of darkness. Strengthen him/her with the grace of Christ, and watch over him/her at every step in life’s journey. We ask this through Christ our Lord.”

The child is then anointed with the oil of catechumen. Think of it is as a physical sign of a spiritual reality. The oil could represent God kissing the child or of God applying a healing ointment to the child. In either case the child is not strengthen in his or her resolve to follow God’s will.
Rite of Baptism Part IV:

“Blessing of the Water”
As we continue our look at Baptism, we turn now to the blessing of the water for baptism. There is a joke that goes something like: “How do you make holy water? You boil the hell out of it.” While this maybe a funny joke, it is not exactly true. It seems to me that the way to make holy water is simply to bless it and how do we bless holy water, we do so by calling to mind how much our God loves us and all of the great things that God has done for us. Prayerfully read the following blessing for Holy Water found in the Rite to Baptism and breath in all the scriptural references.
“My dear brothers and sisters, God uses the sacrament of water to give his divine life to those who believe in him. Let us turn to him and ask him to pour his gift of life from this font on the children he has chosen. Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power. In baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament. At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness. Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God’s holy people, set free from sin by baptism. In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. Your Son willed that water and blood should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross. After his resurrection he told his disciples: “Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Father, look now with love upon your Church, and unseal for her the fountain of baptism. By the power of the Spirit give to the water of this font the grace of your Son. You created man in your own likeness: cleanse him from sin in a new birth of innocence by water and the Spirit. Celebrant touches the water with right hand. We ask you, Father, with your Son to send the Holy Spirit upon the water of this font. May all who are buried with Christ in the death of baptism rise also with him to newness of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.”

In this prayer, we see references to the creation story, to the story of Noah and Moses to the New Testament. We see how God has used water to do great things and now God is about to do another great thing free this child from slavery to sin and to adopt the child and make him or her one His own children.

Renunciation of Sin & Profession of Faith The parents and godparents of the child to be baptized are once again reminded of the sacred and solemn obligation that they are about to undertake and are therefore obliged to renew their own commitment to God.

In an interesting way the Church affirms the human truth that to choose one thing is to reject another and so the Church at this Sacrament asks us to affirm both our rejection of the devil and to affirm our choice for God.

One of our problems in society today is that we give our word, our consent, so easily and what is worse we take it back almost as easily. We forget that our integrity depends on how well we keep our word. I am not saying that our word should be a binding agreement forever if for some good reason we discover that what we committed to is wrong or immoral but I think sometimes we too easily break our word simply because we are lazy. Sloth is after all one of the seven deadly sins
Rite of Baptism Part V: “Baptism/Chrism”

Baptism After the parents and godparents affirm their faith in God and their rejection of the devil and his evil ways, it is now time for the actual baptism. The priest or deacon following Jesus’ command pours water over the head of the child three times and baptizes them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

What we physically see is water being poured over a child’s head the spiritual reality is that God has washed the child clean from original sin and has signed an adoption paper making the child a part of His heavenly family. The child is now officially a part of the Body of Christ.

A priest or deacon is the normal minister of the Sacrament of Baptism but in a case of emergency anyone can baptize. This is most likely done in hospitals when the wishes of the parents are made known ahead of time. If the child recovers he or she can then be brought to the Church and be welcomed with a ceremony but the child is not re-baptized.
If a child or another person dies without receiving baptism the child or person is not destined to hell or limbo. The sacraments were given to us by God for our own benefit and reassurance. They in no way limit God’s actions, love or mercy. We can trust in God’s love and mercy for these people by simply reading John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Anointing with Chrism The next part of Baptism is that the priest or deacon will anoint the child with the Oil of Chrism. This serves a couple of purposes. In a real way the Oil of Chrism is a connection back to the actual time of Christ. We believe as Catholics that each bishop was ordained a bishop by someone who was a bishop before him always back to the time of the Apostles and Chrism is blessed only by a bishop. So this anointing gives us a symbolic connection to Christ.

The second purpose is to give us a threefold mission. When a person is baptized a person is anointed priest (please do not confuse this with Holy Orders), so that he or she may offer his or her life to God as a priest would offer a sacrifice to God. The person is anointed prophet and is their commissioned to proclaim Christ through his or her words and actions to the world. Lastly they are anointed king. Not a rule the world type kingship but rather a sharing in Christ’s servant leadership. We are after all now members of His heavenly royal family.

The anointing on the forehead is also very Scriptural for both in the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Revelations are the people of God identified by the mark on their forehead which is the place in which the priest anoints the child.
Rite of Baptism Part VI: “White Garment/Candle/Ephphatha/Our Father”

White Garment After the anointing of Chrism, the priest or deacon makes reference to the fact that the child is wearing white as a symbol of the child’s new innocence. It used to be that the parents would take the time to change the child into the white garment at this point but now it is more of the custom for the child to come to church wearing the white garment. The prayer is simple but powerful.

“N. you have become a new creation, and have clothed yourselves in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of our Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.”

Baptismal Candle Another special tradition is the lighting of the baptismal candle for the Easter Candle. The Easter Candle is the candle that is set apart from all other candles as a special symbol of Christ – “The Light of the World”. I think the prayer here says it better than I can:

“Receive the Light of Christ: Godparents then light the baptismal candle from the Easter candle. Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. Your child has been enlightened by Christ. He/she is to walk always as a child of the light. May he/she keep the flame of faith alive in his/hers heart. When the Lord comes, may he/she go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”

Ephphatha The Ephphatha is a special blessing for the ears and mouth of the child.
“The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.” Celebrant then goes and touches the mouth and the ears.

Our Father & Blessing The Rite of Baptism then concludes with the Our Father – the prayer of the Children of God – and a final blessing invoking God’s grace upon the child, parents & godparents, and on all of us.

April 2008 Spirituality of Princess Bride

The Spirituality of the Princess Bride One of my all time favorite movies is the Princess Bride starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright. Here is a brief synopsis of the movie:When a young boy falls ill, his grandfather pops round to visit him. To cheer his grandson up, Grandpa has brought a storybook; The Princess Bride, a tale of the love between the beautiful Buttercup and the besotted Westley, a love cruelly interrupted by Westley's tragic apparent death at sea when seeking his fortune. Heartbroken, Buttercup has sworn never to love again, but accepts the marriage proposal of the rich and handsome Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin; but death is no barrier to true love, and in a story filled with exotically-accented swordsmen, big-hearted giants, genius kidnappers, sadistic torturers, vile swamps, Rodents of Unusual Size, the Dread Pirate Roberts and a somewhat embittered miracle worker, the love between Westley and Buttercup twists and turns on a path filled with adventure. Will the True Love of Westley and Buttercup win the day? Will Inigo Montaya find the six-fingered man who murdered his father? Will Humperdinck's evil plans come to fruition? And, more importantly, will Grandpa be able to tell the story without any of the yucky kissing?. –IMDB website

1. The movie starts off with a boy playing a really old video game. (The sad part is I remember playing that game at my grandmother’s house on Atari and that makes me feel really old.) We soon discovered that the boy (a young Frank Savage) is sick with the flu or a cold. His boredom is about to end though when his grandfather (played by Peter Falk – Columbo) has come over to spend time with his sick grandson. Here is the first spiritual insight of the movie. Visiting a sick relative is an excellent way to demonstrate your love for that person.

2. As the grandfather begins reading the story we see the story come alive for us. We discover the depths of Buttercup and Wesley’s love through their interaction. Buttercup loved to order Westley around and Westley would simply respond “As you wish,” and then perform the task. A key insight into love is given here. Love wants what is best for the other person. Buttercup sees Westley’s love through his actions.

3. When Westley leaves to find his fortune he tells Buttercup that “nothing can stop true love.” I do not think there could be a better phrase to summarize the Catholic Faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. Nothing could stop God – who is TRUE LOVE – from rescuing us from the evil one not even death.

4. As the grandfather continues reading, we discover that Westley leaves Buttercup in order to make his fortune. Unfortunately though the ship that Westley is on is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts – a feared pirate who is known for not leaving any survivors, therefore the logical conclusion to draw is that Westley has been killed. The grandson who has been listening to the story afraid that it was going to be one of those “kissing books” responds “murdered by pirates is good.” Even though I know this line is coming, I still cannot help but laugh at it. The spiritual insights I see from this is that there is a part of each one of us who loves sin and destruction. This I think is the part of us that has been affected by original sin. If we think about more and more we really do not want anyone to get hurt or die but there is still something about a disaster that fascinates our imagination instead of appalling us.

As we continue our adventure through the movie the Princess Bride we discover that Prince Humperdinck has chosen Buttercup to be his bride and thus become the princess of Florin. Buttercup reluctantly accepts because the law of the land allows Humperdinck to choose any woman to be his bride. Buttercup despites this great opportunity slips even more into a state of depression. The only bit of happiness Buttercup has left in her life is riding her horse through the countryside.
As she rides her horse through the country side she is greeted by three interesting characters. A Sicilian named Vizzini, a Spaniard named Inigo, and a very large man named Fezzik (who is played by Andre the Giant). These three men kidnap the Princess and take her to their boat where an interesting conversation takes place:

Fezzik: You never said anything about killing anyone.
Vizzini: I’ve hired you to help me start a war. It’s a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.
Fezzik: I just don’t think it’s right, killing an innocent girl.
Vizzini: Am I going mad, or did the word “think” escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotmatic land mass.
Inigo: I agree with Fezzik.
Vizzini: Oh, the sot has spoken. What happens to her is not truly your concern. I will kill her. And remember this, never forget this, when I found you, you were so slobbering drunk, you couldn’t buy brandy! (turning to Fezzik) And you: friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless! Do you want me to send you back to where you were unemployed in Greenland?

Let us now take a moment to look at these three characters more closely. The character of Vizzini is an interesting character. He seems to have been brought to his evil ways by two character flaws - the first being his immense ego. Vizzini believes that he is the smartest person to ever live even smarter than Socrates and Plato and it this arrogance that leads to his second character flaw – his desire to be famous. He believes that he can become famous by starting a way as he puts it “It’s a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.” I can not help but feel that everyone who starts unjust wars does so out of need to be famous.
I have to admit that Fezzik is one of my favorite characters. Andre the Giant has been a person who has amazed me since I was a little kid and since I once saw a television biography about his life that explained how his disease affected his life. I get the sense that Fezzik would do anything for anyone not because he was a bad guy but rather because all he wanted was a friend. We in fact see Fezzik’s goodness many times throughout the movie. He is the first to speak out against killing the Princess, he refuses to just out right kill Westley, and he is extremely loyal to his friend Inigo. I cannot help but feel that so many of our world’s “bad guys” would be “good guys” if someone would just have befriended them earlier in their life. Think about how powerful the gift of friendship truly is.

Inigo is another interesting character. He is bent on revenge his entire life wishing to kill the six finger man who murdered his father. When he finally achieves his lifelong goal of revenge he is left a little empty and wondering what to do with the rest of his life. If only he would have devoted all his energy to doing good instead of letting his desire for revenge control his life.
Another of my favorite parts is Vizzini’s continue underestimation of Westley. This underestimation is best seen in the following dialogue:

(Vizzini has just cut the rope that the Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up)
Vizzini: He didn’t fall? Inconceivable!!!
Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Vizzini continually underestimates the “man in black” because he does not know who he is dealing with. He has no idea of the “man in black’s” power and determination. Sometimes, I think we continue to underestimate God’s power and determination and thus we find God’s willingness to love us and forgive us as simply “Inconceivable!!!” but we are just as wrong as Vizzini. There is nothing that will stop God from loving us.

Philosophically, I love the dualism that exists in the characters of Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo. At one level they are the bad guys, their mission is to kidnap the princess, murder the princess, and to start a war between two countries. They are bad to the bone but at the same time there is a sense of morality in them. Inigo refuses to just cut the rope and kill the “man in black”. Inigo even at one point tells the man in black “you seem a decent fellow, I hate to kill you.”

Fezzik refuses to ambush Westley and so challenges him to a wrestling match. Fezzik even warns Inigo “You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.” It is as if he is totally oblivious to the fact that he as a kidnapper is the one who should not be trusted. On a simple level Fezzik has a prejudice against people who wear masks. How often do we let our own personal prejudices prevent us from doing what is right?

One last piece of dialogue that I would like to reflect upon…
Inigo: Who are you?
Westley: No one of consequence.
Inigo: I must know
Westley: Get use to disappointment
Inigo: Okay

Human beings are energized by their search for knowledge. I know that I personally have a great desire to know everything. I have also found out though that there are certain things that I should just allow to remain a mystery and instead of searching for the minute knowledge and instead focus on relationships. I have in a sense gotten “use to disappointment” in not knowing about things. I have discovered more friendships and stronger relationships by moving my attention from the search of knowledge (this does not mean that I have stopped learning) as my first priority to putting building and strengthening my relationships with others to my top priority. In a sense, I think that this effort is helping to avoid me from become an academic snob.
The fire swamp scene use to be one of my least favorites until I recently discovered the irony in it. There are three tests in the swamps - the fire bursts which are proceeded by a popping noise, the quicksand, and the R.O.U.S (Rodents of unusual size). The irony is that in the midst of their travels through the swamp and their efforts to battle the first two dangers, they seem to ignore the third danger which is plainly in view of the audience. How often in life do we not see the danger (sin or bad habit) that threatens us the most? This is why seeking the advice of a friend or a professional counselor can be good for us.
There is even a point, right after Westley rescues Buttercup from the quicksand that Westley stares one of the rodents face to face and yet he denies their existence. How often do we live in denial? Isn’t the life of an alcoholic and a drug addict nothing but a life a denial? I would think that even the life of a sinner is truly a life of denial of not really facing one’s own sinfulness and inappropriate desires. And eventually the oversize rodents attack and seriously wound Westley.
Billy Crystal plays Miracle Max a man who has been fired by the evil prince and has hence lost all confidence in himself. It is sad that I know so many people who are like Miracle Max who define themselves by their work and when they find themselves unemployed they seek into a depression. The Church has always taught us that the Sabbath (the day of rest) is meant to teach us that we human beings are special not because of what we do but because of who we are (children of God.) I pray that everyone may learn this most important lesson.

The final confrontation between Westley and the evil Prince Humperdinck has some memorable dialogue.
Prince Humperdinck: First things first, to the death.
Westley: No. To the pain.
Prince Humperdinck: I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase.
Westley: I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon.
Prince Humperdinck: That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me.
Westley: It won't be the last. To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose, I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight.
Westley: I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand let's get on with it.
Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, "Dear God! What is that thing," will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.

Westley demonstrates to each of us that “words” can carry a lot of power with them - sometimes even more powerful than a sword. We need to remember this in our interactions with others.

May 2008 Self-Reflection @ Mass

One of the most interesting things about my move from Sacred Heart to St. Norbert has been the opportunity to reflect on why I do the things that I do. During my time at Sacred Heart, I developed certain patterns and habits both good and bad and as I began my time at St. Norbert’s I found myself asking myself why do I do things the way that I do them and is this the best way for me to do them or should I make some changes to my routine. I find myself doing this in a special way in regards to how I celebrate Mass. I thought for the month of May, I would spend some time reflecting on my own liturgical style while at the same time offering some insights into the Mass itself.

Preparation I have discovered that my preparation for celebrating Mass is two pronged. I think the best term to describe them is immediate and remote preparation. Immediate preparation are the things that I do immediately before a Mass while remote preparation are the things in my life that I do to prepare myself for Mass even though the next Mass, I attend may be far off into the future if ever. Maybe an example will help. In seminary I was taught that a couple was in immediate preparation for baptism when they were taking the pre-baptism class. On the hand a couple was in remote preparation for baptism when they were listening to a homily about baptism. Remote preparation in a way creates the foundation or the knowledge that something exists and immediate is the information one receives right before participating in that particular action. Maybe another way of putting it is that there is a difference between watching a show about rock climbing on television without having the immediate intent of going rock climbing and then there is the actual listening to an instructor right or checking your harness and other gear right before you start climbing.

Remote Preparation I believe that I can divide my remote preparation into two parts the first being my general overall spiritual health and the second being my work to develop a sense of gratitude about the Mass. Just as rock climber looks forward to his or her next climb, a person in good spiritual health I believe looks forward to their next interaction with God and what better way to interact with God then through the Mass. The reverse is also true a person who is out of shape does not look forward to rock-climbing because he or she knows that they are not in the proper physical condition. In the same way a person whose spiritual health is not the best will not look forward to encountering God and may try even to avoid God. It is kind of like attending a party in which you don’t want to run into another person so you spend the entire time trying to avoid that person instead of enjoying the party itself. The best way to remain spiritual fit to get the most out of Mass is to pray often and to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis.

The word “Eucharist” originally meant “thanksgiving”, which is awesome because I see gratitude as the second big key to celebrating/participating in Mass. I think that it is part of the effects of original sin that human beings begin to get board with things that they have for a long time or repeat often. I have also heard people speak of this as a good thing because it shows us that we are yearning for something more than what this life can give. Whatever the case, things that we participate in often can become routine (in the bad and boring sense of the word). One of the ways that I counteract this in my life is to remind myself of what an awesome gift the Mass truly is. Our God calls us together and comes into our midst in a special way of the Eucharist. Our God wants to be in relationship with us. He does not want to treat as his subjects or his toys, He does not go around smiting us but rather He wants each of us to realize our full dignity and become His sons and daughters through Baptism. We are in a mysterious way gathering around God’s family table. We should be grateful for this because it is an awesome gift.

Sometimes I think about how there are many people around the world today who wish that they could celebrate Mass but cannot because of either a lack of priests or because of government persecution. We are extremely lucky. I think of in a special way St. Maximillian Kolbe who died in a concentration camp. I get to celebrate Mass in a church building with no fears of the authorities busting down the door.

I also think of the Eucharist as an opportunity to show my love back to God. This aspect of the Eucharist has taken on new light for me because of my relationship with my grandmother. My grandmother is now in a nursing home and I get the opportunity to show her my love by visiting her there. Do I like nursing homes? No for many reasons but ultimately because they remind me of my own mortality but I show my love to my grandmother to the extent that I sacrifice to be with her. I can come to the Eucharist to give back to God who has given me everything and my personal sacrifice (which by the ways is nothing compared to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass) helps to strengthen my relationship with God.

Immediate Preparation My immediate preparation for a Mass normally begins two weeks before the actual Mass. This is when I sit down at my computer and go to
http://www.usccb.org/nab/index.shtml. This website is run by the United States Catholic Bishops and has the Scripture readings for every day of the year normally a few months at a time. I download the readings and then pick up a small book called an ordo. The ordo lists all the possible types of Masses (saints, ritual, feasts, solemnities etc.) Now armed with all the information I need for that particular Mass, I begin to reflect on the Scripture reading, the feast day (if there is one), and the needs of the congregation that I am planning to preach to that day. For me knowing my congregation is very important. I personally would not preach the exact same homily for 7AM as I would for 11AM because of the many difference between the congregations.

I think this is important for the average Catholic to keep in mind also. Maybe one style of liturgy (music, preaching, enthusiasm, noise, etc.) does not suit you. This is by no means a reason to stop going to Mass but rather it maybe a call to go to another Mass. I have always been impressed by people who know what works for them and therefore they make every effort to attend the Mass that best feeds them spiritually. These are often also the people who will set aside their preferences and attend a Mass that might not be to their taste when they cannot attend a Mass that is their style because Mass has become so much of who they are and they don’t want to miss it. While we must never let our preferences prevent us from going to Mass there is nothing wrong with going to a Mass in which the liturgical style speaks more to them.

I will admit (although shamefully) that I have gotten into times where my immediate preparation for Mass is only 5 to 10 minutes before the actual Mass itself (due to my own laziness). These times I know I do not participate the way that I should so preparing a head of time makes a big difference to me. In the same way I encourage you to plan ahead. Maybe read the readings before you go to Mass and if you are going on vacation do not take a vacation from Mass but rather look up a convenient Mass time at
www.masstimes.org.

As a priest another part of my immediate preparation is getting vested for Mass. Part of what I try to do on Sunday is to wear a suit coat in addition to my clerics to show others but more importantly to remind myself that Sunday is a special day. It is the day the Lord has made. I encourage everyone to dress up when going to Church because it helps focus our attention. As a society we know that how we dress can motivate us and unite us. Just take a moment to think of all types of jobs and groups that require uniforms, military, sports, deliver company, restaurants, etc. Coming to Mass is one thing (and that is good) but coming in the proper mindset is another and I have found proper clothing can help me and I will admit that dressing up may not help someone else but I would like to challenge everyone to try it for a month or two.

As I continue with vesting, I put on a white garment called an alb. This alb is meant to remind me of the white garment that I received (or was wearing) at my baptism. As people enter into the church building, I believe it is also important for them to recall their baptism to mind - this partly why holy water is kept close to the doors of church for people to bless them with. When we remind ourselves of our baptism then we remind ourselves of our baptismal dignity – that we are sons and daughters of God. Coming to church then is more of a homecoming than a task. It is a chance to get to see our brothers and sisters in Christ and to share a meal with them in our Father’s house.

The next thing I put on is my cincture. The cincture is a rope like belt that is to reminds me of the vows I made at my priesthood ordination. I think it is therefore important for everyone to remind themselves of all the vows that they have made during their life (married couples should remember their marriage vows and all the baptized should remember their baptismal vows to reject Satan and to believe in God). Church is an excellent time to ask God for help to keep these vows.

The next vestment I put on is called a stole, it is a long piece of material that I drape over my shoulders and the two ends hang down in front of me. The stole is a sign of my office. It lets people know that I am a priest. It is a reminder to me that God is the one who has blessed me with the gift of priesthood it was not something that I earned. In a similar way I think parents and spouses would be blessed to remind themselves that everything they have is a gift from God also.

Finally as a priest, I put on my chasuble (the outer garment). It is a sign and symbol of love. In other I perform my ministry with love as my only reason. I serve because I want to love like God. We come to Mass in order to become like God. One of the most important lessons in learning what it means to be like God is found in the Eucharist. God patiently waits for us to engage Him never forcing Himself upon us. Love means being vulnerable. We can learn from the Eucharist that we are called not to be all powerful but rather to be all loving. We are called not to be strong and to get our way but rather to be vulnerable in order to form community.
One of the things that I try to be conscious of while I celebrate Mass is time but not in the sense of watching the hands on a clock. My natural speed, when I am in front of people and am nervous is to move as fast as I can to get it over with. I know however that this is not good when it comes to the liturgy. The liturgy does not have to be long to be good but it should have a flow and a pace to itself. I have yet to be assigned to a church with a long main aisle, so I try to lengthen the opening procession by spacing the ministers. I believe that it is good for the congregation to sing two to three verses because singing helps the build the unity that we are searching for as we pray.

At the beginning of Mass, I try to draw attention to the opening words of the Mass, because I have come to see such power and imagery in them. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” with these words we are calling upon God by name to come into our midst. We have a task to do and this task is impossible if God is not with us. We also cannot possible fail—no matter how many mistakes happen—with God presence. A reading of the Old Testament should help reinforce the idea that what we are doing is extremely powerful because to invoke God’s name was seen as a very powerful action by the ancient Hebrews. Unfortunately though, this action seems not to have the same weight and awe behind it.

In the same way when we say the “Lord be with you” we should be reminded from Scripture that whenever we have a task to do, God promises to be with us. God told Abraham, Moses, Joshua, many of the prophets, and Mary that He the Lord was with them. I also try not to add too much to this part of the Mass because, the words that the Church gives us are taken directly from St. Paul’s letters so in a way we are quoting Scripture.

The next thing that happens is the penitential rite (Lord have mercy). I try to focus on the fact that this part of the Mass is not meant to draw our attention to our sinfulness but rather is a time for praising God for His mercy and forgiveness. If there is a sprinkling rite instead, I use a glass bowl so people can visually see the water and a whisk broom type aspergillum (holy water sprinkler). I like to try to hit everyone with the holy water because I think one of the best parts of our Catholic liturgy is that it touches all of our senses.

Opening Prayer is next followed by the readings. The opening prayer is meant to not only sum up all our prayers but also to guide our prayers and thoughts for the Mass. When I was growing up, a visiting priest who came to my parish often, would base his entire homily around the opening prayer. I always thought he was being lazy for it was easier to read a paragraph then three readings but now I wonder if he was not necessarily lazy but maybe he was slightly inspired. He use to remind the congregation that we should be careful of what we ask for (in the opening prayer) for God might just give it to us. I am about 50/50 now days to whether I think the priest was being lazy or if he was truly inspired but his words are a reminder to us of the power of the opening prayer.

The readings and the Gospel are now next. There is a great debate about whether people should listen to the Word of God being proclaim or should people follow along in a missalette. I personally enjoy and get more out of just listening to the Word of God being proclaimed (especially if done by a very good reader). I think though it is really a matter of doing what is best for you. If you get more out of the reading because you are following along in a missalette then by all means follow along.
As we continue our exploration of the Mass and our preparation and personal participation in the Mass, I would like to spend a few moments talking about homilies. I would like to start off by recalling my favorite comment that anybody has given me about my own homilies. A lady came up to me once and told me “Father, I really liked your homily this morning, it really made me think and I don’t normally do that after your homilies.” I don’t know what it is that I particularly liked about this comment but I can make a few guesses. I think first off, I enjoyed the lady’s honesty. I have witnessed in my own short time as a priest people telling other priests how wonderful their homilies were only to walk a few more feet and tell the person they are with how much they disliked the homily. I have also had people tell me what a wonderful homily I have given but then they were not able to recall a single detail about the homily. I am personally a firm believer though that without honest feedback no one can improve his preaching style.

I have also found it frustrating when I hear how people talk about other priests being good homilists and when I ask them what they like about their homilies they reply that it the other priest homilies were “short.” I find it sad that this is what people want. Now do not get me wrong I have no desire to listen to a long and rambling homily more than the next person, but I do have a great desire to hear a great and stirring homily - one that addresses the issues that I am facing and/or one that inspires me to live the best life I can live in the name of the Gospel.

When it comes to my homily style, I like to mix things up. Sometimes I like to use props and other times, I like to use a text and preach from the pulpit. My idea is that a little variety goes a long way. I would encourage everyone to pray over the readings before hand and to try to discover one nugget of truth on their own about the readings even if the homily is “boring.”

As we enter into the Eucharist, I think it is important that we look at the offertory as a chance to offer more than money. Dr. Gottmann, a counselor I use in my marriage prep, talks about one of the biggest problems in marriage is money because money has become to symbolize more than financial health but it symbolizes our dreams, hopes, and fears. When we come to the Eucharist we come to offer God our hopes, fears, and dreams.
Another image that helps me, is that we come to Mass to become the wheat that becomes the Body of Christ in the world. Grains of wheat traveling on a conveyor belt are a sort of community. They are all going in the same directions but they are not bread. Similarly we are called not to become individuals going in the same directions but rather we are called to be so united that we cannot be separated. Grains on a conveyor belt can be separated grains in a loaf of bread cannot. In a similar way we should become so together that we cannot be separated.

During the Eucharist prayer we are given the chance to silently recall people we would like to pray for. I suggest having an intention for each Mass as another way in which we can prepare for Mass. As I come to the end of my reflections for the month of May, I think that I would be remised if I did not mentioned two important ways that we can prepare ourselves for Mass. The first is Christian service. When we help other people in the name of Christ we are living out the Eucharist and therefore come to understand more about the power of Christ. The second is Eucharistic Adoration. Taking time to adore the Blessed Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is not always an easy thing to get into. One must make a commitment to come and spend time with Jesus even though it seems like a waste of time. I cannot help but think that the Apostles would not have deserted Jesus if they could have stayed awake and prayed with him in the Garden.

June 2008 Spiritual Blogging

I thought for the month of June that I would take sometime to talk about the random stuff that has been floating around in my head. Since there will be no rhyme of reason for the month, I will refer to it simply as blogging.

My Name is Earl My friend Jim Walsh turned me onto the television series: My Name is Earl. I have found the show hilarious and bizarrely inspirational. I feel like I also need to mention that sometimes the humor of the show is inappropriate (but what show doesn’t have inappropriate content now days). The premise of the show is that Earl is a low life man who steals for a living and goes around “doing bad things”. His life changes though when in a period of minutes he wins the lottery, is hit by a car, and loses the lottery ticket. While laying in his hospital bed unable to move he learns about the concept of karma. Karma is the idea that “what goes around comes around” or in other words “if you do good things then good things will happen for you.” So while still in his hospital bed Earl makes a list of all the bad things he has done in his life and he grows in determination to either correct each of the bad things on his list or do something good for the person. Shortly after making this decision he finds the lost lottery ticket, cashes it and sets out on his own personal crusade to make up for the sins of his past.

First, I think that I need to mention that karma is not a Christian concept, in fact that Church rejects the idea of karma. As Catholics we believe that bad things can happen to good people (think of the Book of Job) and that just because a bad thing happens, it is not a sign that the person who had the bad thing happen to them is a bad person. However, we as Catholics can believe in (I don’t think it is mandatory) in the psychological process of self-fulfilling prophesies. The idea that we are going to “be bad at something” most of the time means that we will. Other ways to state this concept in simple terms is “we choose how a situation will affect us” or “people create their own miseries.”

In theological terms, I see Earl’s pre-karma conversion to a person committed to sin. Earl in his pre-karma days is focused only on himself. What can he do to get as much out of life without doing any real work? One of the biggest signs of a sinner is someone who is focused only on himself. I know from my own life the times that I have behaved most contrary to the Gospel were also the times that I was focused most on myself. Post-karma Earl focus moves to other people. There is one insightful episode where Earl begins to realize that even his crusade to right all the wrongs that he has committed can become a self-centered obsession as he realizes that he has been neglecting his brother Randy.

Another aspect of Earl’s post-karma life is his firm belief that he must avoid doing wrong at all cost because he is convinced that karma will get him. Now I do not believe God is out to get us when we sin but I do believe that sin can begin to transform us into a person that we do not want to be and so sin should and must be avoided at all cost. Just as God’s grace can be transformative for the good, sin can be transformative for the bad. I believe that it is similar to a person on drugs who goes from being a loving person to a drug addicted monster – sin has the same affect we are transformed from the good loving person God created us to be into a self-centered fiend. Sin (no-matter how big or how small) is something that should be avoided at all cost.

As Earl goes forth in his personal crusade I am particularly fond of the fact that nothing goes as plan. Sometimes the person who is on the list forgives him easily and other times they do not. Earl persistence is to be commended for often Earl discovers that he has hurt someone more deeply than he had ever imagine. I think often in our lives we can ask for forgiveness and when it is not given we become defensive and easily give up not truly understanding that sometimes we have hurt people deeper than we can imagine or that people are not used to forgiving and so need more prompting. Inspired by Earl, I have tried to be more persistent in asking for forgiveness and in going the extra-mile to demonstrate my sincerity.

Spirituality of Arriving Back in January I reflected on the idea of moving and now that I have been at St. Norbert’s parish for about 5 months, I thought I would reflect a little on the idea of a spirituality of arriving.

I have discovered that moving from Sacred Heart to St. Norbert has been one of the most difficult things that I have done in my life. It is not that St. Norbert is a bad parish but rather because of the strong bond that I had developed with Sacred Heart has been broken. I noticed this in particular way when I went back for the Sacred Heart parish carnival. I don’t know if I can describe it but my time at the carnival made me realize that I was no longer a part of the Sacred Heart parish community. I was now an outsider who needed to be welcomed back and informed of what was going on.

It has taken me three months, but I am now beginning to feel at home at St. Norbert. I notice myself looking out on the congregation on Sundays and seeing familiar faces and even missing certain faces when they are not present. I am beginning to know groups and individuals in such a way that I can start to be myself around them. Having talked to some of my classmates who have moved, I have learned from them that it has taken them 6 months to a year to really feel at home. I know that this may take longer for me because I have a harder time being out going. Thinking back, I think it really took me two years to feel at home at Sacred Heart.
As I go through this struggle of arriving in a new place, I have found myself grateful for the time that I had at Sacred Heart. I also find myself grateful for the people of St. Norbert for being warm, welcoming, and understanding. I really feel like St. Norbert is the right place for me and this is the right time and together there is a lot of potential for mutual growth.

I have also grown in compassion and empathy for people who have to move for various reason from one place to another. This compassion has inspirited me to reach out and welcome new people and to accept that new people can sometimes reserved and quiet as they try to figure out their place in their new environment. I have grown in great admiration for missionaries who leave all they have and move to a different country in order to proclaim Christ to people. This has led me to pray more for missionaries and to donate more to their support.

Zero-Sum Struggle I was recently reading a book by Fr. Bob Barron a priest of the Chicago Archdiocese titled:
Bridging the Great Divide: Musing of a Post-Liberal, Post-Conservative Evangelical Catholic. In a section toward the end of his book he writes up the idea of a zero-sum struggle. It is the idea that all of life is a competition the more that I have the less you have. Fr. Barron traces this idea back to the philosophy of Nietzsche. Fr. Barron also shows us how this horrible/anti-Christian idea has silently crept into Christian theology. He first shows us how this idea is at work in our relationship with God. It comes across best in the following idea: the more God succeeds the more I lose my freedom, identity and become His slave, because I losing power. Reversely the more that I assert myself the more God loses his power. The Catholic teaching though is that God is not against us but rather is for us. Serving God does not take away our power, freedom or identity, but rather roots itself in life. It’s not my will verses God’s will but rather God’s will and my will is the same. We both want me to be happy, fulfilled, and living life to the fullest. It is just sometimes my ideas of how to get there is different (and always wrong when in competition with God for He is God and I am not).
High Christology/Low Christology One of the great things about our Catholic faith is the tension between variety and sameness found in our liturgies. While there is one Mass each faith community (and even different parts of each faith communities) celebrate the Mass in their own way. One reason for this is the distinction the Church makes in Christology (the study of everything in revelation dealing with Jesus Christ). The distinction is what theologians refer as “high Christology” and “low Christology”. First, one must remove from one’s mind the idea that high is better than low for in the Church’s view both of these views are equal. They simply represent different starting points of tackling the great mystery of the Incarnation. Remember that God is so much more than we can ever imagine (we can’t put God in a box) but we do have the ability to learn about God and to relate to Him. “High and Low Christology” refers to whether or not we focus more on Jesus being God (high Christology) or on Jesus being man (low Christology). Remember that the true teaching of the Church that Jesus is True God and True Man equally, High and Low Christology simply refer to our preference because of our inability to grasp the entire ministry. A person with a high Christology is more likely to appreciate the solemnity of a celebration like incense and Gregorian chant and a person with a low Christology is more likely to appreciate the community building aspect of the celebration. I think this is so important for us because it allows us to understand better people who have different liturgical preferences then us. Lately, this idea has been important to me when dealing with people who love the Latin Mass and people who hate the Latin Mass. I have challenged myself to simply try to accept the person with their preferences as a part of the Body of Christ and realizing that they come from a different point of view on the great mystery that is beyond our comprehension helps.

Vocations Recently I preached a homily in my parish in which I focused on the idea of vocations and following that homily I had a couple of great discussions with people about vocations. I think the first vocation crisis is simply the fact that most people today do not realize that they have a vocation. A vocation is simply a calling from God to live a certain way of life that shows and demonstrates to the world and aspect of God’s divine love. In the Catholic Church there are four vocations: priesthood, religious life, married, and single. These vocations in the Church are equal and meant to be complimentary. It is also important to remember that since a vocation is a calling from God and God is for us and not against us, finding our true vocation will lead us to find true happiness. I am not a priest today because I could not get a date anymore than a husband is married because he was kicked out of the seminary. I am a priest because I truly believe this is the vocation God has created me for and thus this is where I will find true happiness.

There are many out there who feel that the way to solve the priesthood crisis is to ordain women or have married priest. The thing that bothers me the most with these two suggestions is that they sound to much of “the Church needs to adjust to fit my needs” instead of “how can I bend my will to God’s will.” There are two incidents in Scripture that I have discovered in my daily reading of Scripture.

Numbers 16: Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, (and Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, son of Pallu, son of Reuben) took two hundred and fifty Israelites who were leaders in the community, members of the council and men of note. They stood before Moses, and held an assembly against Moses and Aaron, to whom they said, "Enough from you! The whole community, all of them, are holy; the LORD is in their midst. Why then should you set yourselves over the LORD'S congregation?" When Moses heard this, he fell prostrate. Then he said to Korah and to all his band, "May the LORD make known tomorrow morning who belongs to him and who is the holy one and whom he will have draw near to him! Whom he chooses, he will have draw near him. Do this: take your censers (Korah and all his band) and put fire in them and place incense in them before the LORD tomorrow. He whom the LORD then chooses is the holy one. Enough from you Levites!" Moses also said to Korah, "Listen to me, you Levites! Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has singled you out from the community of Israel, to have you draw near him for the service of the LORD'S Dwelling and to stand before the community to minister for them? He has allowed you and your kinsmen, the descendants of Levi, to approach him, and yet you now seek the priesthood too. It is therefore against the LORD that you and all your band are conspiring. For what has Aaron done that you should grumble against him?" Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, but they answered, "We will not go. Are you not satisfied with having led us here away from a land flowing with milk and honey, to make us perish in the desert, that you must now lord it over us? Far from bringing us to a land flowing with milk and honey, or giving us fields and vineyards for our inheritance, will you also gouge out our eyes? No, we will not go." Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Pay no heed to their offering. I have never taken a single ass from them, nor have I wronged any one of them." Moses said to Korah, "You and all your band shall appear before the LORD tomorrow-you and they and Aaron too. Then each of your two hundred and fifty followers shall take his own censer, put incense in it, and offer it to the LORD; and you and Aaron, each with his own censer, shall do the same." So they all took their censers, and laying incense on the fire they had put in them, they took their stand by the entrance of the meeting tent along with Moses and Aaron. Then, when Korah had assembled all his band against them at the entrance of the meeting tent, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire community, and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Stand apart from this band, that I may consume them at once." But they fell prostrate and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will one man's sin make you angry with the whole community?" The LORD answered Moses, "Speak to the community and tell them: Withdraw from the space around the Dwelling" (of Korah, Dathan and Abiram). Moses, followed by the elders of Israel, arose and went to Dathan and Abiram. Then he warned the community, "Keep away from the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that is theirs: otherwise you too will be swept away because of all their sins." When Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrances of their tents with their wives and sons and little ones, Moses said, "This is how you shall know that it was the LORD who sent me to do all I have done, and that it was not I who planned it: if these men die an ordinary death, merely suffering the fate common to all mankind, then it was not the LORD who sent me. But if the LORD does something entirely new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them alive down into the nether world, with all belonging to them, then you will know that these men have defied the LORD." No sooner had he finished saying all this than the ground beneath them split open, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families (and all of Korah's men) and all their possessions. They went down alive to the nether world with all belonging to them; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the community. But all the Israelites near them fled at their shrieks, saying, "The earth might swallow us too!" So they withdrew from the space around the Dwelling (of Korah, Dathan and Abiram). And fire from the LORD came forth which consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

1 Kings 13:32-34:
For the word of the LORD which he proclaimed against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria shall certainly come to pass." Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this event, but again made priests for the high places from among the common people. Whoever desired it was consecrated and became a priest of the high places. This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.

These two passage demonstrate to me that God has a divine plan and that plan calls for two equal but different groups of people – clergy and laity. (Remember a previous Spiritual Pondering in which I talked about the Zero Sum Game error in reasoning. An increase in the prestige of priesthood does not mean a decrease in the prestige of the laity and an increase focus on the role of the laity does not mean that the role of the clergy is gone.

The only true way to fix this priesthood crisis is to do thing God’s way by supporting young men who are considering priesthood. It also means that we need to focus on supporting others in their vocations so that a culture of vocations will arise.

We Live I recently came across a band with a weird name and a punk sound (that is not normally my ta

ste) but listening to Superchick, I fell in love with a couple of their songs because of the power of their lyrics. I was particularly found of the song “We Live”

The opening lines of the song speak to us of the need to remember how short and fragile life really is. Do we take our love ones for granted? What steps can we take to let our love ones to know that we love them?We live, we love, we forgive and never give up - Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above - And today we remember to live and to love - We live, we love, we forgive and never give up - Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above - And today we remember to live and to love The chorus of this song really touched me because there is a certain logic to it. Sometimes the worst thing about a love ones death is that it was them and not us. We would do anything to switch places with them but that is not an option. The challenge though is to see this as opportunity to really live. Our love one would not want to see us wasting our life but rather we know that their wish would be for us to live life to the fullest. The only way for us to truly live though is to forgive. Forgive our love one for dying. Forgive ourselves for not being strong enough to stop their death and finally to never give up because life is a gift from God.

There's a man who waits for the tests to - See if the cancer had spread yet - And now he asks why did I wait to live 'til it was time to die - If I could have the time back, how I'd live - Life is such a gift - So how does the story end? - Well, this is your story and it all depends - So don't let it become true - Get out and do what we were meant to do

I have found myself inspired by people who face death because of cancer or another illness. These people began by going through a period of anger and grief but in the end they chose to treat the time that they had as a gift and often I found them ministering to people who came to minister to t hem. I hope that one day that I can face death as well as they did but their lives are a reminder to me that I have an obligation to live the best life that I can now.

Waking up to another dark morning - People are mourning - The weather in life outside is storming - But what would it take for the clouds to break - For us to realize each day - Is a gift somehow, someway - And get our heads up out of this darkness - And spark this new mindset and start on with life cuz it ain't gone yet And tragedy's a reminder to take off the blinders and wake up - (to live the life) - We're supposed to take up (moving forward) - With all our heads up - Cuz life is worth living

Life is worth living. How do we view life? Do we view it as a challenge or a gift? As an drudgery or an opportunity?

Pretty Amazing Grace I was really touched the other day by this remake of Amazing Grace by Neil Diamond: What is grace? Grace is the free and unearned sharing in God’s life. As Catholics we become messed up when we try to earn God’s grace instead of just accepting it. To use an old analogy trying to earn God’s love is like having the cart before the horse. The reception of God’s love (gratitude for it) should motivate our efforts not our greed. I minister to people not to make God love me but rather to show God my gratitude for his unconditional love.

Pretty amazing grace is how you saved me - And with amazing grace, reclaimed my heart - Love in the midst of chaos - Calm in the heat of war - Showed with amazing grace - What love was for.

Our hearts are restless until we rest in God according to St. Augustine. When we rest in love the interior wars and chaos cease to exist and our life becomes anchored in God’s love.

You forgave my insensitivity - And my attempt to then mislead you - You stood beside a wretch like me - And pretty amazing grace was all I needed.

How often do we commit sins of omission (failure to do something to show someone we care)? We probably hurt people more too by not showing them we care then through direct acts of maliciousness. There is a reason why they call it thoughtfulness because it requires thought.

Stumbled inside the doorway of your chapel - Humbled and awed by everything I found - Beauty and love surround me -- Freed me from what I feared - Asked for amazing grace -And you appeared.

We come to God broken and bruised “stumbling”. Most of our brokenness comes from fear. God can take away our fear of being unloved because He loves us unconditionally where everyone else has to love imperfectly.You overcame my loss of hope and faith - Gave me a truth I could believe in - You led me to a higher place - Showed your amazing grace - When grace was what I needed.

God overcame our loss through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is the Truth. We follow him and we are able to reach the heavens because of His love/grace.

Look in a mirror I see your refection – open a book you live on every page - I fall and you’re there to lift me - You share every road I climb - And with amazing grace - You ease my mind. - I came to you with empty pockets first - When I returned I was a rich man - Didn’t believe love could quench my thirst - But with amazing grace, you showed me that it can.

We forget that we were created in the divine image and no matter what we do God’s image cannot be removed from. We have nothing but God gives us everything. Love (God) is the only thing that can quench our thirst.

July 2008 Faith & Film

The Fourth of July weekend is a big weekend for movies and last July I spent the month writing about different spiritual insights from movies. I therefore thought it would be a good idea to devote the month of July to some more spiritual insights from movies.

Shrek The Third While I did not find the third movie about the lovable green ogre as funny as the first two, I did see some really great positive messages and spiritual insights that I thought were worth sharing. The first insight is that the movie whether known to its writer or the audience watching carries with it a great pro-life message. In this movie Shrek and Fiona have to deal with their own fears about how a baby will change their lives. It is nice to see though that there is no talk of an abortion, it simply is not an option. I cannot imagine how they could even work that into a children’s movie. Maybe this is another aspect of what Jesus meant when He said that “we should become like children.”

Shrek deals with his fear that he will not be a good father to the child. His dad had tried to eat him when he was younger and he feels that he will might instinctually follow in his dad’s poor fathering footsteps. We learn though at the end of the movie that Shrek is a wonderful father. I think sometimes parents try to complicate the idea of having children too much by forgetting that all it takes to be a good parent is time. Shrek does not have to give his children the best but rather he just has to spend time with them. It is through spending time and not through getting things for them that parents can show their love best for their children. Unfortunately, I have come across many young couples who choose not to have children because they do not think that they would make good parents. These are unfortunately some of the people, I think that would make the best parents. Fiona on the other hand is afraid of how having a baby will change her relationship with Shrek. While it is true that nothing changes a marriage more than having children this does not mean that the change cannot be for the better. We need to be reminded that all children are a blessing from God even if they seem like little ogres from time to time.

Another key insight in the movie is seen when one studies the tension between Arthur and Prince Charming. Both want to be more than who they are at the beginning of the movie. Artie in the movie discovers that he is the one that has been holding himself back because he has listening and believing all the bad things that others have been saying about him instead of looking deep inside to discover his true identity. I can identify with Arthur a lot because there are many times that I have listen to the voices of others telling me that I am no good to the point where I can hear my own inner voice echoing this song of negativity. God has blessed me though with friends who have been able to lift me out of this sad existence of negativity and helped me to find the true voice of God within telling me that I am created in His image. Prince Charming on the other hand looks for approval and happiness from things outside of himself. He want to be rich, famous and powerful and will use whatever means possible to get it. It sad that he has not learn the lesson that Arthur has and that can be summarized by this quote: “If there’s something you want to do, or someone you really want to be, then the only one standing in your way… is you.” If we want to follow Christ then the only one standing in our way is ourselves for we are confident that God has made us in His image and that God will provide us the grace we need to accomplish this noble goal.

One last quick spiritual insight is the value of sharing what you have learned with another. Shrek, who has struggled in the first two movies with accepting himself now has the challenge to help Arthur to learn to accept himself. It is Shrek’s personal story that gives Arthur the courage and hope to change.

Enchanted The plot of the movie Enchanted surrounds a young cartoon/fairy tale maiden who is set to marry the Prince of Andalasia. The prince’s evil stepmother though banishes her to “real world” of New York City. I must admit that the whole story was very weak but the young children I was watching it with really loved it and I found myself appreciating the great musical numbers which were unfortunately just two few. I did discover a couple of spiritual insights though that I would like to point out.

In the story Giselle is ready to marry Prince Edward even though she has only met him the day before. She thinks that this relationship with Prince Edward will bring her the happiness that she desires because it is what is expected of her as a young maiden in the fairy tale world of Andalasia at the end of the movie though Giselle discovers that Robert is her true love and not Prince Edward.

Sometimes when I am talking to engage couples I get the strange feeling that the couple really does not love each other but rather they are simply getting married because it is the logical next step in their relationship. I think what gives me this feeling is the couple’s lack of appreciation for the mystery of marriage. They do not understand that marriage is a sublime vocation (a calling from God) that will forever change their lives.
I think there is some wisdom in the Church’s requirement for couples to have at least six months of official marriage preparation. This is done not to suck the romance out of a relationship but rather to help the couple discover their real reasons for taking this momentous life changing decision. As you watch the movie you cannot help but see that Robert was falling in love with Giselle’s free loving fairytale spirit and that Giselle was beginning to fall in love with Robert’s more stern personality. I could not help but think that Giselle and Robert would need some help down the road when conflicts arise because the very things that they were now finding cute in the other could possible become petty annoyances later unless Giselle and Robert were given tools to keep their love for one another alive. A good marriage preparation can help put a good marriage on solid foundation. I also suggest reading some good books on marriage and its relationship to faith.

As I stated above, I really liked some of the musical numbers. I particularly like the one in Central Park where Giselle was giving Robert advice on how to strengthen his relationship with Nancy (the woman that Robert thought he loved). Her basic advice is one that I give couples often do small things to let your spouse know that you love him or her.

The evil queen’s henchman is another interesting character. Nathaniel does the evil witches bidding because he is trapped in his lust for her. One can feel sorry for him because he does everything she wants but never gets any true attention from her. Luckily for everyone involves he overcomes his lust and sets out to right his wrongs. I have to give Nathaniel credit because he does not run away after his sinfulness is revealed to himself but rather he sets forth to do the right thing.

One last thought about this movie is I love the scene in which Giselle begins to sing as she works and all the cockroaches, rats, and pigeons come to help her. It showed a real lack of prejudice on Giselle’s part to accept help from these animals because they were not nearly as cute as the bunny rabbits, chipmunks, and deer that she was use to getting help from.
TransformersThe first scene of
Transformers – the attack on the military base in the desert – immediately told me that this movie would not be the kid friendly cartoon that I knew from my childhood. I found the movie to be a great fast pace action movie and really enjoyed it. Reflecting on the movie in the view of my Christian faith I saw some of the following spiritual insights.

The first insight I saw is that war is hell. Sometimes, I think movies and other forms of entertainment can make us think that war is more of a game in which the good guys always survive but this is sadly not true. I remember the original Transformer cartoon movie from childhood and how shocked I was when some of my favorite characters like Optimus Prime and Iron Hide died in the movie. This version of Transformers does not shy away from the fact that people die in war. One of the soldiers is killed on screen by Scorponox’s scorpion stinger and Megatron kills Jazz right before our eyes also. So what do we do with this knowledge? I think the first thing we do is pray for peace and pray for the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend us. Secondly though I think we are called to live the best life we can by ridding ourselves of any prejudices and fears that we have of others. The more that we can empty ourselves of our fear of others the more we can learn to understand and the more we can understand the more we can learn to live together without resorting to violence. This is not easy and sometimes I think we think what will my little contribution do to the cause of peace but recently I have been thinking that individual resolve is the only that will change the world and inspire others to change also. I pray that God will help me do my part for peace.

The second insight I saw in the
Transformer movie is more from an article I read after seeing the movie. I wish I could find the article now but at last I cannot. In the article the director talks about how he wished the Decepticons (the evil robots) to have as few speaking lines as possible. The director stated that he believed that the more bad guys talked the less scary they became. I remember this insight struck me as very profound. The more I listen to a stranger the less of a stranger he becomes and even friendships have developed from people who I once saw as a possible threat. I have also witness family members who have not spoken in years begin to repair their relationships simply by beginning to and making a commitment to just talk and the more that they talked the more the other person moved from being an enemy to once again become a family member. Is there someone out there that you wish to know better? Is there someone out there that you find scary because you do not know him or her? Is there someone out there who you have a broken relationship with? Then begin to work on the relationships by taking the simple step of talking with them. Will it work right away? No, but it will over time.

The third insight from the
Transformer movie is “that people are much more than meet the eyes.” I recently finished the first part of a two year program for priests to teach us management skills. We spent four days going over personality theories so that we can begin to understand people better. The idea is the better that we can understand people (what motivates them and what they fear) the better we will become at showing them gratitude, helping them resolve conflicts, and challenging them to growth. If the priests with me learned only one thing from this part of the class it is simply that every individual in a complex person. I think this is important because I know that sometimes, I can be pretty judgmental and assign very simple motifs to other people when they hurt me. In the reality their actions are a part of a complex decision that the individual may not even be aware of going on in their mind. In the same way I realize that just because I interpret something as good or as bad does not mean that the other person does. I find myself being encouraged by the Holy Spirit to be more tolerant and forgiving of others because I am realizing that “people are much more than meet the eyes.”
Finding Nemo Recently a nurse who works with children told me that
Finding Nemo is the best movie hands down for children. It seems that all children no matter their age or illness love Nemo and nothing can calm a waiting room full of children quicker than putting
Finding Nemo on the television screens. While I am not sure why that is, I do have a guess. In finding Nemo we see Nemo’s father Marlin go on a great adventure to save his son Nemo. I believe that this movie is so touching because it touches on the great truth of our relationship with God. We find ourselves lost and in need of a savior. God enters the world on a great adventure to seek us (the lost sheep) out in order to bring us back home to him. We as Catholics know that just as dedicated as Marlin is to Nemo our God is even more devoted to us.

Ratatouille My little niece loves this movie and has a couple of stuff animals from it. My mom was telling me that Mikaela will bring in one of the large stuff rats and yell “Ratatouille! Ratatouille! Ratatouille!” and hold the large stuff rat high in the air. She will then look at the rat and drop it on the floor and shout “yuck!” and run away laughing. The two parts of Ratatouille that I liked was Remy’s insight into the food critic to serve the food critic what he wanted instead of what Remy thought would like. I think sometimes we get ourselves all mixed up in service by giving people what we think we would like instead of learning more about them and helping them by giving them what they want. The second thing I liked about the movie was that Linguini jeopardizes his relationship with Remy because he forgets to show his gratitude to him. It is a reminder to us that gratitude is a key ingredient in the soup of friendship.

Toy Story It is hard for me to believe that
Toy Story has been out for over 10 years. The first spiritual insight from this wonderful and ground breaking movie is that jealousy is one of the seven deadly or capital sins. Jealousy is one of the seven deadly sins because it leads to more sins. We see how Woody’s jealousy of Buzz leads him to do some pretty horrible things to Buzz. I also love the fact that both Buzz and Woody discover the best thing in life is to be a toy. Maybe another way to say it is that being a toy to them means being in relationship with a child. Sometimes I think we forget the value of children because we get so caught up in our busyness that we forget to take time to be with children and show them that they are the most important things in our lives. No child should ever feel rejected or neglected.

Cars In the movie
Cars we discover through Lightening McQueen that there are more important things than winning. Henri Nouwen one of my favorite spiritual writers talks a lot about the evil of competition because when we are not careful it can cause us to view others as the enemy someone that must be overcome for personal success instead of viewing the other as a companion someone who is a fellow traveler on the road of life. We find true happiness only to the amount that we help others find happiness because the more we help others the more they will help us. Sports competition is not necessarily evil but participating in sports or other things that require competition like participating in the work place, applying for colleges, etc must be done in such a way that demonstrates that winning at all cost is not a virtue but is rather a vice that should be guarded against.

September 2008 Spiritual Blogging

I am sorry for the absence of my column the last two weeks. My computer (or probably me) lost or deleted the file I did not have time to go back and rewrite what I had lost.

I thought I would turn the month of September into one of my “blogging” months so that I can cover a variety of topics.

Cell Phone verses the Bible I have picked up a bad habit that I am trying to break. I find myself using my cell phone to check my e-mail all the time even in the middle of conversations with other people. I normally don’t read or encourage e-mails that I know have been forwarded to a lot of people but because of my bad habit I was intrigued by the subject heading “The Bible & Cell Phones”. So I opened the e-mail and began to feel like I was reading an examination of conscience pointing out to me so many of faults because of my new bad habit.

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible? So remember this.. You'll never have dropped calls and unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about y our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. But most important of all...you'll never have to ask Him 'Can you hear me now?' Makes you stop and think, 'Where are my priorities?'

Since receiving this e-mail I have been extra sure to get in my Scripture prayer in each and everyday even if it means that I must give something else up. Sometimes it is hard to pray Scripture because you might not know where to begin. May I suggest a series of books called Six Weeks with the Bible? This series of book can be read as part of a Bible study or for individual enrichment. It starts off with a series of questions for a person to ponder (or if read in a group it starts conversations and allows people to become comfortable with the idea of sharing.) Then it offers a passage from Scripture and follows it up with questions to help you get the most out of the readings. The author follows up this critical reading of Scripture with an insightful commentary followed by questions that allow you to apply what you have learned to your daily life. The book even offers a prayerful way for groups to end their Bible study time together. I have been using these books with a group of friends now for a little over a year and I have discovered them very life giving. Always remember the Bible is a love letter from God to you. It is also a map to the spiritual life.

Spiritual Blogging continued
You know you are living in 2008 when… A friend of mine who knows how much I love history sent me this e-mail a while back and I recently found it on my computer again. The below list is slightly modified from the list I received from e-mail

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when... 1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave. 2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years. 3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three. 4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you. 5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses. 6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries. 7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen 8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it. 9. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee. 10. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

1.) The idea of accidently entering your PIN number into a microwave made me think of how I used to laugh at people who came into a movie theater and genuflected as if they just entered Church. Sadly though I realize that not everyone genuflects anymore, partly because in my parish church building the Blessed Sacrament is kept in another room but also because I think people have forgotten what genuflecting means. Genuflection entered the liturgy and devotional life of the Church through the French Court. In the middle ages if you entered the room and the king saw that you head was higher than his, he would simply have it cut off (talk about a head trip). People therefore would genuflect or curtsy to the king when the king was in the room. The idea became that if we do this for a human king should we not do it for the “king of kings” present in the Blessed Sacrament. Genuflection became a great way to show your belief in the true presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

2.) I can’t remember that last time I played solitaire with real cards. I play it, free cell, and minesweeper a lot on the computer though. I remember that playing cards was a big part of my grandma’s life. She played cards (canasta was the game of choice) with her kids, grandkids and fishing buddies. Now with hind sight I see what a wonderful activity this was because it encouraged conversation and built up ties of unity between people. I know that the family that prays together stays together but I also think the family that plays together will also be close than the family that does not.

3.) I can’t believe the number of phone numbers that I have in my cell phone. This has helped me keep in touched with a lot of people. While I do have the phone number of family and friends at my finger tips, I know that it is still up to me to call them and to keep the friendship alive. So call someone that you have not talked to in a while and remember you never need to dial a number to talk to God.

4.) E-mail is both a curse and a blessing for many reasons. First it is a curse because one can feel braver and say things more boldly (and probably will regret later) when he or she does not have to directly say it to someone’s face. I find that the words I say to a person’s face are always much kinder and tempered down then e-mails that I have sent in anger. Second it is a curse because most of what we have to communicate comes through not with words but with our body language. One cannot see body language from an e-mail..
Spiritual Blogging Spiritual Blogging continued
You know you are living in 2008 when… (Continued) Continuing from last week’s you know you are living in 2008 when…

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when... 1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave. 2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years. 3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three. 4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you. 5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses. 6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries. 7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen 8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it. 9. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee. 10. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

5.) While e-mail can be a great way to stay in touch with people it still is no substitute for face-to-face visits. Can you imagine a person claiming to have visited someone in the hospital because they sent that person a “get-well” e-mail card.? Face-to-face time with friends (especially when distance is not an obstacle) is important for all relationships. Perhaps this is why Eucharistic Adoration seems to be picking up in popularity again.
6.) Cell phones can be a great way to get help when in need but we should make sure that we are not looking for a phone call before we help others. We should always strive to be of service to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
7.) Websites are a great way to give out more information about something. May I suggest
www.mayjesuschristbepraised.com for more great stuff like a guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
8.) With number 8 I think I will just refer you back to my Spiritual Ponderings for Sunday September 7th.
9.) I love getting up every morning and checking the news websites before celebrating Mass because it gives me an opportunity to know if there had been any emergencies, catastrophes or other things that I should bring to my prayer. While the news can be depressing, it does provide us with a lot of stuff to bring to our prayers.
10.) I know that e-mail is a great tool and so with this last one let me suggest some ways to make it better. First say a prayer for anyone you send an e-mail to even if it is a business related e-mail. Second never use it as a way to get out your frustration with another. Third never send anything in appropriate to another person.
Finally from time to time e-mail someone and let them know that you are praying for them.
I often joke with my friends by telling them “that I am not a Franciscan”. I normally say this right after I have stepped on a bug or squished a spider. While St. Francis definitely loved animals and all of God’s creation, he was also a wise man and so for this last Spiritual Pondering of the month of September, I thought I would share some of my favorite St. Francis quotes because his feast day is October 4th.

I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. Another way of saying this is “except for the grace of God there go I.” I think one of the ways to live an authentic Christian life is to realize that the only reason we are who we are is because of God’s grace. Imagine the poorest person in the world or the person you hate the most in the world and realize without God’s grace you could be that person. It is very humbling when you realize the reason for your success has nothing to do with yourself but rather comes from someone else.

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. A Christian music group called D.C. Talk (they played at the Papal Youth Rally in St. Louis) have a song on one CD that starts off with a voice saying “
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle that is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” To use another analogy, every person’s life is a living homily on the love of God. We all know there are some really great homilies out there but we also know that there are some pretty crappy ones as well. What type of homily are you? Do you stir up people’s spirit to accept Jesus Christ?

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. Being a Christian is a 24/7 365 days a year job. We cannot turn off being Christian if we are to be true to our faith. Recall all the parables in the Gospel that warn us that Christ will come again at a time that we do not expect.

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Our actions will speak louder than our words and often our actions disclose what is really in our heart. In order to avoid being a hypocrite make sure your words and actions are in alignment with your heart.

October 2008 Blessed Virgin Mary & Virtue

I have always tried to dedicate my Spiritual Ponderings for the month of October to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is not only the Mother of God but she is also our mother. The Catholic Church holds Blessed Virgin Mary up for us not as a goddess but rather as a role model as an example of what it means to be a true disciple of her Son Jesus Christ

When I was at Sacred Heart, the parish would dedicate four different images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and my reflections would be based upon these images. Now that I have moved to St. Norbert, I was not sure what I should write about and therefore I asked Mary for some inspiration. About a month ago I ordered a DVD from Amazon.com. The DVD was a retreat given by Fr. Bob Barron. Fr. Barron has become one of my favorite spiritual writers and I highly recommend him. This particular DVD, Seven Deadly Sin/Seven Lively Virtues, was a retreat that Fr. Barron preached. His inspiration for this retreat was Dante’s treatment of the seven deadly sins in his poems the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio. As part of this treatment Fr. Barron points out that Dante saw the Blessed Virgin Mary as an example of someone who practiced the seven virtues that counter the seven deadly sins. As I watch this excellent DVD I felt like the Blessed Virgin Mary had answered my prayer so far this month of October, I will reflect on the Blessed Virgin Mary as a role model for overcoming the seven deadly sins by living a life of virtue.

The first of the seven deadly sins is pride. Pride is simply when we make ourselves and not God as the center of our life and world. Pride is most evident to me when I see people trying to make other people like them by impressing them by explaining how wonderful they are. I know that pride is normally very easy for me to identify because most of the behaviors that prideful people do are the same things that I do when I am prideful. The virtue that is opposed to pride is humility. Now humility is not self hate but rather knowing the truth about oneself. For us humans it often has to deal with knowing that we are not totally evil but we are at the same time we are not totally good. Spiritually it also has to do with accepting the fact that we not only need God but that God loves us unconditionally. If we truly realized our dependence on God in addition the unconditional love God has for each one of us the world would be transformed. Dante saw Mary’s declaration of being the “handmaid of the Lord” as a sign of Mary’s humility. Mary accepted her role in God’s plan and knows that what God wants for her is what will be best for her. I also think it is good to point out that because Mary was sinless by God’s grace, it does not mean that she could not have chosen to sin. Remember that Adam and Eve were also sinless but unfortunately chose to sin.

The second of the seven deadly sins is envy. Envy is the feeling of resentment at someone else’s success and talents and the feeling of joy we receive from someone else’s failing. Every time that I begin to recognize envy in me, I always discover that it is the result of my own insecurities. When I am comfortable with who I am then I have no need to rejoice in someone else’s failings or wallow in my own failures when someone else succeeds. A true Christian rooted in God’s love rejoices in someone else’s success because he or she is a brother or sister in Christ. Dante sees Mary as a person without envy because of the Wedding Feast of Cana. Mary is concerned that the groom and bride are not seen as committing a social fopaut by running out of wine. She insists that Jesus helps them. She does not rejoice in their mistake by becoming a gossip but rather loves them by wanting what is best for them and pitching in to help them.

The third of the seven deadly sins is Anger. While “anger” is the word used in most lists, I feel that it is probably not the most appropriate word to describe this deadly sin. When I think of the word “anger”, I think more of a feelings and I believe that feelings are neither good nor bad. Rather, it is what we do with our anger that can either be virtuous or sinful. I therefore prefer the word “wrath”. Wrath is what happens when we let our anger get out of control. Wrath is created when we do not keep our anger in check with our reason. I believe that when Jesus cleared the Temple area of the merchants and stuff, he may have been angry but he was not filled with wrath.

The virtue that opposes wrath is forgiveness. When I forgive someone that I am angry with my anger remains in check. A visual image that comes to mind is that of a balloon. Let us say that a balloon filled with air represent our anger. Forgiveness then would be letting the air out of the balloon slowly and deliberately. Balloon while inflated is under a tension that is not good for if a balloon is inflated too much then it will explode. A balloon in which the air is let out a little at a time relieves the tension in it.

Unfortunately, I think that true forgiveness is really misunderstood in our world today. True forgiveness is not about forgetting or acquitting. Only God can forgive and forget because He is God. Human beings have a personal obligation not to forgive and forget but rather to forgive and learn. I may forgive someone who has done me bodily harm but forgiving them does not mean that I put myself in a situation to be hurt by that person again if I can avoid it. Rather forgiveness for me means releasing the tension, the animosity, the hate, the anger that I have toward that person and saying to that person, I do not hold you any ill will toward you.

Here are a couple of practical tips for forgiveness.
1. Don’t dismiss what happen but rather examine it. Pretending something did not happen will not make our anger go away but will most likely bury it in our psyche and there it will stay until it decides to manifest itself in some dysfunctional way. Rather examine it and see what led up to the event. How can this event be avoided the next time? I know that having a plan to avoid being hurt again helps me to relax and to let go of some of the hostility and fear I have toward the other person. Acknowledge that something has happened. There is probably no worse feeling than having something happen to you and then to have no one believe you including yourself. It tears my heart apart when I see true victims blame themselves.

2. Realize that forgiveness takes time and grace. There is an old saying that goes something like “to forgive is divine.” I believe this statement is true so when God asks us to forgive someone who has hurt us He is asking us to do something that is not normal to human beings but God is always there willing to give us the grace necessary to forgive. Also realize that forgiveness takes time. We may not be able to forgive immediately (nor should we expect others to forgive us immediately). We should allow ourselves and others time to accept, to think, and to pray.

3. Realize that forgiving someone also benefits us. Refusing to forgive is like drinking a poison drink that we call “resentment”. Refusing to forgive affects us not only emotionally but also physically as our body begins to reacts to the new stress in our lives.

4. Talk to a third party (not to gossip) who is a trusted confident. This person maybe a spiritual director or a priest, can help remove the negative energy from the experience by listening. It is amazing how therapeutic listening can be.

5. Remember except for the grace of God there go I. Remember that as human beings we are all capable of great acts of sin and violence and it is only the grace of God that keeps us from doing so. Why do we have all that we have? We did not earn it. God freely give it to us. It helps me to realize that often the person who hurt me is in a situation that is must worse than mine and therefore probably hurt me because he or she was acting out of his or her ignorance of God.

The Marian example for Dante is Mary finding Jesus in the temple. How angry she must have been after searching for Jesus for so long (3 days). Mary’s words to Christ are mild compared to the wrath she could have expressed.
The next of the seven deadly sins is sloth. Most of the time we understand sloth as laziness or procrastination but in his DVD retreat,
Seven Deadly Sin/Seven Lively Virtues, Fr. Barron remarks that sloth is more than just physical laziness. Sloth is in a very real sense a spiritual laziness. We commit the sin of sloth when we do not take our spiritual life seriously. For Fr. Barron the opposite of sloth is zeal. So sloth is when I take my faith for granted or when I do not search out new ways to grow in faith. We are called to not simply do the minimum to get by but rather to put our whole heart into it. We are called to have a zeal for doing God’s will because we know that doing God’s will brings glory to His Name and happiness to us. For Dante, Mary showed zeal when after discovering that she was to be the Mother of God she chose to go help Elizabeth. She did not simply sit around and rely on her position as Mother of God to save her but rather filled with God she went forth to serve.
The fifth of the seven deadly sins is avarice or greed. For me all greed comes from being insecure. When I am not happy with who I am, then I try to fill myself up with everything and I try to mask insecurities with surplus wealth. The virtue that opposes greed is generosity because generosity is only capable because a person feels secure in his or her own being to give away ones material possessions. Avarice therefore is not only a clinging to material possessions but is also letting material possessions define who we are. Great and true generosity is only possible when we are rooted in our relationship with God and knows that He loves me with or without my possessions. For Dante Mary proved this by giving birth to the King of Kings in a stable and not in a palace. Another story that illustrates what I am talking about from the book
The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning.

Abbot Anastasius had a book of very fine parchment, which was worth twenty shekels. It contained both the Old and New Testaments in full, and Anastasius read from it daily as he meditated. Once a certain monk came to visit him and, seeing the book, made off with it. The next day, when Anastasius went to his Scripture reading and found that it was missing, he knew at once that the monk had taken it. Yet he did not send after him, for fear that he might add the sin of perjury to the theft.

Now the monk went into the city to sell the book. He wanted eighteen shekels for it. They buyer said, “Give me the book so that I may find out if it is worth that much money.” With that he took the book to the holy Anastasius and said, “Father, take a look at this and tell me if you think it is worth as much as eighteen shekels.” Anastasius said, “Yes, it is a find book. And at eighteen shekels it is a bargain.”

So the buyer went back to the monk and said, “Here is your money. I showed the book to Father Anastasius said it was worth eighteen shekels.”

The monk was stunned. “Was that all he said? Did he say nothing else?”
“No, he did not say a word more than that.”

“Well I have changed my mind and don’t want to sell the book after all.”

Then he went back to Anastasius and begged him with many tears to take the book back, but Anastasius said gently, “No brother, keep it. It is my present to you.”

But the monk said, “If you do not take it back, I shall have no peace.”

After that the monk dwelt with Anastasius for the rest of his life.”

May we never define ourselves by our possessions for they shall all become dust.
The sixth of the seven deadly sins is gluttony. Our country has a great focus on weight. Just watch television news and there are always new studies coming out telling us how obese Americans are becoming. We have the television show “Biggest loser” or something like that. What is the cause of this? Is it because of fast food, lack of exercise, psychological problems? All of these could be true but underneath them all it is a spiritual problem. Fr. Barron points out that Carl Jung stated that “all problems are really spiritual problems.” Fr. Barron is quick to point out that the Catholic Church is not “puritanical” we believe in celebrating life. We also though believe in moderation. When we use food or drink (or even drugs) to cover up our issues instead of turning to Christ for help then we have reached a level of sinfulness. I recently finished reading a book called
Tweak. It is about a boy’s life as a drug addict. This sentence really struck me:“I remember being in L.A. at my mom’s house as a little kid and just staring into the mirror for hours. It was like if I looked long enough, maybe I finally be handsome, it never worked. I just got uglier and uglier. Nothing about me ever seemed good enough. And there was this sadness inside me—this hopelessness. Focusing on my physical appearance was at least easier than trying to address the internal !@#!. I could control the external—at least, to a point. I could buy different clothes, or cut my hair, or whatever. The pit opening up inside me was too frightening to even look at. But I could get a new pair of shoes and here, I can make sure I’m clean shaven and have good skin.”
As Christians we do not have to be afraid to face the “internal !@#@” because God has proven that he loves us. He is the Father who is there always waiting to welcome home His prodigal sons and daughters never giving us a chance to explain ourselves because He is just to happy to have us home.

Fr. Barron points out that Dante did not have a Marian example to counteract gluttony. He assumed it was because there were no passages in the Bible about Mary eating. The virtue though that counteracts gluttony is asceticism. Asceticism is not beating oneself up but rather training one’s body to respond to our desires. Athletes practice asceticism all the time in order to become better. In the same way we Christians should give things up from time to time to become better Christians. God does not want to punish us but He does want us to become better people and asceticism is a good way of doing it.

The last of the seven deadly sins is lust. Lust is simply when we treat people as an object instead of as a person. When I use you for my own selfish needs either in reality or in my fantasies then I have given in to lust. It may be a lust for power or a lust for sexual gratification but when I use another person I do them harm because I do not treat them as a person. John Paul II stated in his writings that the opposite of love is not hating someone but rather using them for our own selfish needs and desires. The whole of Catholic sexual teaching comes down to the fact that we are called to treat each person as a person.

For Dante, Mary response to the Angel of how exactly she was to conceive showed Dante, Mary’s desire not to use another person.
Lust can be a very powerful force in our lives but it too can be tamed through asceticism. We must work hard though to train ourselves to not put ourselves into situations where we will be tempted. I always like to suggest to people who feel tempted to give into lust is to stop and pray the rosary. Mary can be a great help in preserving our chastity and practically speaking it helps put a distance between the temptation and the action by filling our mind with thoughts of Christ.

November 2008 Living Saints

Living Saints The month of November is one of my favorite months liturgically because it begins with two great feasts (feasts of All Saints on Nov 1st and the feast of All Souls on Nov 2nd) and normally ends with the last Sunday of the liturgical year (Christ the King). The feasts and readings that we encounter during the month of November as the liturgical year comes to a close invite and encourage us to think about things such as heaven and hell, saints and sinners, last judgment and God’s mercy. Inspired by this time of year, I wish to therefore focus my ponderings on the topic of saints.

First, I want to clear up a major misconception of what a saint is. A saint is simply someone who is a citizen of heaven. In other words anyone who is in heaven is a saint (except God because He is God and that is way more awesome than being a saint). From time to time the Church believes that it know for certain that a certain person is heaven. The Church comes to this conclusion after carefully examining that person’s life and miracles that have been attributed to that person after death. When the Church is certain then the Church canonizes (declares one to be in heaven). This does not mean though that a person who has not been canonized is not in heaven. In fact heaven is most likely full of more un-canonized saints than canonized ones. I personally believe that my grandmother is heaven even though no miracles have been attributed to her since her death.

Sometimes you will hear people talking about a person who is still alive as a “living saint”. This is in some ways a redundant statement. Anyone who is a saint in heaven is actually more alive than we are. The term “living saint” though is most of the time applied to those people who have not died who live in such a way that there can be no doubt of their relationship with Jesus. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20). So it is possible to be a citizen of heaven while living on earth. Christians are kind of like ambassadors who represent the kingdom of heaven to the world.

I thought it would be awesome to therefore write about people who I consider to be living saints. These are people who have inspired me by the way they live out the Gospel.

I think that writing about saints who are still living present three problems. The first problem is that most living saints are honestly humble and do not see themselves as modern day saint and therefore by including their names are enough details about their lives I could possibly embarrass these people which of course is not my intent. The second problem is that the closer you are to God the more aware of your own sinfulness you become. Think of St. Peter’s first encounter with Jesus. Peter had been up all night fishing and as morning is breaking Peter notices a great commotion. It is an itinerant preacher with a huge crowd following him. Jesus makes Peter’s boat his pulpit and preaches for a long time about the kingdom of God. Jesus then orders Peter out into the deep and then to cast his nets into the water. As they pull in the net with the huge load of fish, Peter falls before Jesus and declares not words of praise and thanksgiving but rather he confesses his own sinfulness and begs Jesus to leave. The Good News though is that Jesus does not leave. Therefore some of the people who I admire, like the saints of old, are deeply aware of their own sinfulness and would therefore not accept the title of being a living saint. The third problem is that no one is perfect (except Jesus but once again that is because he is God) including saints and therefore some people I view as great examples of the Christian life you or others may see from a different light. So to solve this problem, starting next week I will name groups of people or categories that these living saints may fall in.

As I conclude this week’s ponderings, I challenge you to think about the idea of you becoming a saint. Would other people see you as a saint? Do you want to become a saint (another way of putting it do you want to go to heaven)? What steps do you think you need to take in order to become a saint? Remember all is possible with God’s grace.

As I begin to reflect on the idea of living saints, I know that this Spiritual Pondering will be sent out the Sunday after the election. I personally will be glad that all the political commercials will be over and done with. It is safe to say that one of the big issues in this election was abortion although I do not remember seeing one television commercial about abortion. No matter who is/was elected president, one thing has become obvious to me and that is there are a lot of people who don’t understand what abortion really is or just how many children die every day from it.

I will admit that I probably did not preach about abortion these past few months leading up to the election. I found myself wondering if it would really do any good. Most people who were pro-life would praise me for doing so and most people who were pro-choice would condemn me for being a one-issue person or tell me that the Church has no role in politics both of which of course I think are false attacks. I just could not find that one image or argument that would change not only minds but also hearts.

It is a spirit of humble confusion that I present my first group of living saints – teenage mothers who chose life. Before I go any further, I think I need to clarify or narrow this category a little. I am first off not encouraging teens to go out and get pregnant any more than I would encourage someone to model their life off of St. Augustine’s early years. He had been quite a partier before his conversion. Second I do not think that all teen mothers end up being loving mothers. Some remain too self-centered. The teen mothers that I would like to put in this category are the young women who honestly admit that they made a mistake, choose life, and then for love of the child become less and less self-centered. While sex before marriage is a serious sin, it does not mean that good cannot come of it. The worst thing that ever happen in the history of the world was when we killed God and through it we received eternal life. God can still bring good out of our sinfulness.
I have been ordained a priest for a little over five years and I have come to know some teenage mothers who honestly admit their mistake and accept the consequences. In accepting they overcome the fearful temptation of taking the easy way out by ending the pregnancy. These teen mothers that inspire me are transformed by this experience and become better people for it.

Sometimes when a group of saints accomplish something together they are grouped together and are called companions. I think that any of the young women that I am thinking about would be the first to tell you that they could not do it alone. And so I would like to add some companions to this list of saints. I think mothers and fathers who accept their teenage child’s pregnancy with love are essential. I have learned that no matter how little influence parents think they have on their child they actually have a lot. I sadly have heard many stories of young women being pressured into having an abortion by their parents in order to (I want to speculate but I won’t). In the same light I know that the living saint teen mothers chose life because of the influence and support of their parents.

I know that sometimes, the father, has stayed in the picture and that is awesome especially for the child. I have also heard of many situation in which the boy reacts horrible and has nothing to do with the girl again. I am ashamed of my gender when I hear of these situations. I therefore commend the guys who stay with the girl and child even if it is not through marriage. Sometimes it is best not to get married for one reason or another. It is definitely not good to get married during times of high stress and confusing emotions.

As I conclude this week’s spiritual ponderings, I want to praise the work of some of the pro-lifers out there. I especially want to offer my praise to those who promote life in non-brutal ways. No matter who was elected, we still have a long way to go before our country will be pro-life. The pro-life movement is really about changing one heart at a time and I don’t know of anyone who has changed his or her heart while being attacked. One last group I wish to recognize and that is those who work in post-abortive counseling and healing especially with Project Rachel. Thank you for offering God’s healing love to the people who have made bad choices in life about life.
November was one of my favorite months even back in my seminary days. I think it was because of the annual seminary Thanksgiving banquet. While the food was always good, I loved the banquet more because of the entertainment. Each year I would finish my meal and wait for the entertainment to begin. One of the priests from the seminary faculty would stand up and pretend to begin reading from a book about the lives of the saints, but would instead inspire us to laughter by naming a student or faculty member and explain how this person had died for his faith through some strange and very humorous circumstances. This reading full of plenty of inside jokes was based on the ancient practice of monks in monasteries to read the lives of the saints as a form of entertainment but also for inspiration.

While I would be the first to admit that many of the seminarians named in these martyrologies were far from being saints, it did cause me to think that maybe one day they would be a saint. I mean did not all saints start off doing something like everyone else? In real life one of Kenrick Seminary’s alumni is being proposed for sainthood. Fr. Emil Kapaun, a graduate of Kenrick, served the Wichita diocese and later the army. He was eventually martyred as a prisoner during the Korean War. It is kind of funny thinking that this man once walked the same halls that I have walked. It causes me to think how many people would have guessed that a young boy named Karol Wotylya would eventually grow up to be pope John Paul II while they worked along side him in the factory.

My second group of modern day saints, I would like to declare therefore to be the “vocation seekers”. The Catholic Church has always taught that we all have a vocation (a calling from God). Our universal call is to “love like God” loves. This is what we often refer to as the universal call of holiness. We believe also that each person is being called to love in one of four ways priesthood, religious life, marriage, or single life. All of these vocations, the Church teaches are equal. The vocation seekers are therefore the young (and older) men and women who ask the question “What does God want me to do with my life?” instead of “what should I do with my life?”

It is not easy for a young man or woman to examine a call to the priesthood or religious life. There are many societal pressures and sometimes support can be something that is hard to find. I personally am inspired by these men and women who decide to give God’s calling a chance by attending retreats and camps designed to ask the question “what is God calling you to do?”

I also want to include in this group young men and women who strive to do it the “right way” as they enter into the sacrament of Marriage. These are young men and women who wait to have sex even if they don’t fully understand why sex outside of marriage is bad and even though many of their friends are not waiting. I am also inspired by the couples who take their marriage preparation seriously and do not see it as hoops to jump through. These couples seem to have grasped the truth that the wedding is just a day but marriage is meant to last a life time.

Not wanting to leave out anyone, I also want to praise the young men and women who continue to live out their single life vocation. It not always easy to live out this vocation because it could be the most misunderstood. For some it is a permanent state and for others it is temporary. The important thing is that they continue to live their faith.
I would like to refer to this next group of saints as the “ones who have fallen down but gotten back up.” The name of this group is inspired by a song by Bob Carlisle called “We Fall Down”. Here are the lyrics

The people in this category are people who once lived a very self-centered life but have since found Christ and now live life with an others focus. These people are often hard to notice because they often have the same jobs as everyone else, go to the same restaurant, etc. They are how often sometimes very easy to notice because they are the ones who refuse to do things, like partake in gossip, go to places that would lead them to temptation etc.

These people truly inspire me because I seen in them a happiness I want. They are content with living out the Gospel and accept what comes there way. They fall down from time to time but get up, go to confession and start over again.I would like to refer to this next group of saints as the “ones who have fallen down but gotten back up.” The name of this group is inspired by a song by Bob Carlisle called “We Fall Down”. Here are the lyrics

The people in this category are people who once lived a very self-centered life but have since found Christ and now live life with an others focus. These people are often hard to notice because they often have the same jobs as everyone else, go to the same restaurant, etc. They are how often sometimes very easy to notice because they are the ones who refuse to do things, like partake in gossip, go to places that would lead them to temptation etc.

These people truly inspire me because I seen in them a happiness I want. They are content with living out the Gospel and accept what comes there way. They fall down from time to time but get up, go to confession and start over again.
While I am keeping on with many different groups, and I will have to admit that this exercise has left me more spiritually uplifted than when I began, I have room for only three more groups.

The first group today, I want to reflect on are engaged parishioners. Gallup the polling company, actually does a lot of research into Christian Churches and they divide parishioners into three categories, engage, disengage, and actively disengage. This really has nothing to do with Christmas Easter Catholics or fallen away Catholics because the work deals with people who attend services every Sunday. Actively disengage people are people who attend Mass every week and maybe volunteer a lot too but they are always tearing down the Church and others verbally. Nothing is every good enough for them. Gallup refers to them as CAVE dwellers (Constantly, Against, Virtually, Everything). The second group, the disengage, attend Mass every week but don’t do anything. Church is a Sunday commitment only. The last group, the living saint group, are those who spend a lot of time at Church trying to pray to the best of their ability, helping out where possible, serving others because Church is like a second home to them. It is a place where their friends gather and where they are energized. Many of these people put me to shame in their joyful spiritual life.

The second group today I want to reflect upon briefly is what I call the “cheerful sufferers” or the “modern day Jobs”. These people who seem to suffer one tragedy after another find strength in their faith. They are often found ministering to the very people who came to minster to them. I wish that I could go into details of just a few of these people but I can’t. Rather I will just share with you that they inspire me not to complain about things when in my life because if they can handle their huge problems, I can with the grace of God handle my very much smaller ones.

The last group is the people I refer to as the dialoguers. These are people who honestly seek to debate and discuss things in order to find the truth or the best way of doing something instead of “winning” the argument or moving any political agenda. It will be these people that lead us to true peace and harmony.

December 2008 - Christmas Songs

As we begin the month of December, I am frightened by the fact that Christmas music has been playing on the radio since before Halloween as you can therefore understand I have had a lot of time to ponder Christmas music. I therefore thought I would put all my Christmas music pondering to good use. My first Christmas song is one of my favorite is Breathe of Heaven.

The title of this song strikes me as very inspirational. Did Mary know all that she was getting into when she said yes? I really doubt it because what human being could fully grasp all that was to happen to her and her Son Jesus. So often in my own life I wish I had answers to why things have to be the way they have to be and I am forced to trust like Mary in God’s loving providence. I also truly believe that Mary did not have a clue on the immensity of God’s action in her life and in the world. How could a simple Jewish peasant girl know about and fully understand things such as Transubstantiation, incarnation, resurrection, paschal mystery etc. God’s ways are just far beyond our human ways. He is truly an awesome God. In the same way we have no way of knowing what awesomeness God is bringing about in the world through our “little yeses”. God is of course the “Great I Am”.

I personally love some of the phrases to describe the Grinch. Phrase

s like “your heart is full of unwashed socks”, “you’ve got garlic in your soul,” and “you have termites in your smile,” really appeal to my sarcastic side and they are phrases that I wish I could remember when I am playfully bantering with people. The story of the Grinch though is a story of someone who does not know the true meaning of Christmas and I would go so far to say the meaning of life itself. The Grinch has an attitude of its all about how much you have and if others are succeeding then I must be failing and if I am to succeed then others must fail. It is this attitude exactly that God sent his only Son into the world to fix. Through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ we discover the true meaning of life is love – loving God with our whole heart and our neighbor as our self. The most powerful being in the universe humbled himself to become one of us to show us that true happiness has nothing to do with power and getting our way but rather in serving our brothers and sisters out of love because God at his very essence is love.

1 True Love refers to God

2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Remember that this song was created to teach children the faith because it was against the law too in England. Let us thank God for the gift of freedom and let us not be slacking in educating our youth about the Christian faith.

There is a state of consciousness between being alert and being asleep. I am no

t sure of its proper name but it is the state of consciousness that takes place when we are driving from one place to another and we get there but we don’t remember making the turns or going over certain bridges. We just sort arrive and realize that we are here. It is almost an unconscious state. Unfortunately, I believe many attend Mass in this sort of state and we miss the coming of our Lord in the Eucharist. Sometimes a good book on the Mass can be helpful so that we can come to understand better what is going on. Sometimes I think it is also important for us to share our faith with others outside of Mass for the Mass to become more meaningful to us. May Christ come into our hearts each and every time we receive the Eucharist and find room so we do not end up as a person with no room for his or her king.

This is another of my all time favorite songs. I love the last few lines. “But for just one fleeting moment, the answer seemed so clear heaven’s not beyond the clouds just beyond the fear. No heaven’s not beyond the clouds its for us to find it here.” When Jesus began his public ministry he always said the “kingdom of God is at hand.” Not that it was coming but it was now. What prevents us from living as Christ did? Fear. When we overcome our fear of God and others than we can love like God wants us to. “Salvation” means something like “right or proper relationship with everyone”. So when I experience salvation now I am saying that I am in a proper loving relationship with everyone I meet. I have overcome my fear. This is not easy that is why we need God’s grace. It also means that I need to challenge myself. Maybe to talk and develop a friendship with someone of a different race or creed to remove any fear. Sometimes it may mean overcoming my fear of embarrassment and joining a prayer group. It may even mean asking others for help? As the song tells us Christ’s coming makes it possible.

There is great symbolism in the gifts of the magi.

Gold was given to the baby Christ to show that he was a king. Frankincense was given to show that he was God for frankincense in ancient Israel could only be offered to a deity. Myrrh was given to the new born king to show that he was a human who would eventually die. Myrrh was a kind of embalming fluid used to prepare a body for burial. I wanted to pause a moment in this pondering to see if the gold, frankincense, and myrrh could be used to symbolize gifts that I am called to give God. I see in the Gold for instance, that I am called by God to offer my desire for money and control (kingship) to God so that I may be his humble servant relying solely on him. With the frankincense, I see a call from God to sacrifice my ego and to remind myself that “I am not God and I am not in control.” It is my will be done but his will be done. Finally with the myrrh, I see that I am here to offer my entire life to God and that even my death however it may come can give glory to God as long as I remain faithful and loving

With this song, I love the phrase “One king holds the hope of the world”. It is a reminder of me not to trust in wealth, myself, or accomplishments but rather in Emmanuel “God with us”. It is also a reminder to me that Jesus Christ is not just some other human teacher and historical figure but is really the Son of God and his coming knocks everything off balance and I am faced with a choice to either be with him or to be against him. As I prepare for the new civil year, where will I place my trust. I hope that through my words and actions that people will see that it was the baby who was born to wear a crown (of thorns) and holds the hope of the worlds in His hands.